Sebastian Meets the Baron
by JenthGrek710
Summary: Ever wonder what would happen if our cat-loving demon and our half-cat Creation ever met? Well, wonder no more! (Warning: may be slight OoC, I'm not sure.) I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY-LINE.


Sebastian Michaelis woke in the early evening. Strange, he couldn't remember having gone to sleep since demons don't generally need sleep. Plus if he did sleep, he was sure he would never awaken so late. His young master would surely be furious. Then, another thought struck the demon butler. He was outside, lying on cobblestone. Had he been knocked unconscious? No, not possible, he couldn't be knocked unconscious.

He stood up and looked around him. He didn't seem to be in Phantomhive manor anymore either. Sebastian stood in a little neighborhood of pastel houses, each unique in design and color. A single pedistal stood directly in the center of the courtyard, a large stone crow at the top. The butler couldn't recall having seen this part of London before. Was it even London? With what he's found so far, it wouldn't surprise him if he weren't in England anymore.

A low groan caught his attention, and for the first time since awakening, he spotted Ciel Phantomhive lying on the ground near where he had been. He knelt down and gently coaxed the boy out of his coma.

"Young master, are you all right?" The young earl groaned again before replying.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure my lord. We somehow seem to have been transported to this little neighborhood. Where exactly, I've yet to find out."

"You're in the Sanctuary." A voice from high above them made the pair look up. The crow statue Sebastian had noticed earlier suddenly started glowing. Its form moved, spreading its impressive wings and readjusting its hold on the pedistal with its talons. Now, a black bird of flesh and blood looked down on the two below it. Ciel took a step back.

"What the hell?!" The crow seemed to smile around its beak.

It said, "I see you've never dealt with Creations before. Allow me to explain. I'm Toto. I was created many centuries ago, and because my maker put all his heart into creating me, I was given a soul." Toto spread his wings, indicating the houses around them. "This is the Sanctuary. This is a refuge for Creations such as myself and my companion. So please tell me, how is it you two got here?"

"I'm afraid we cannot answer," Sebastian noted. "We were just in London, last I remember." The crow lifted off the pedistal and soared down, landing a couple feet in front of them. Ciel took another few steps back with a startled cry. The crow was enormous!

"London, hm? I'm afraid you're a long way away from there. I'm also afraid that you both seem to have shrunk." Sebastian cocked his head, not startled in the least by the size of the bird.

"Shrunk? How is it that we have shrunk, and you are not simply a giant crow?"

"You see that stone arch over there?" The demon glanced over and took note of the arch. "That's about a foot taller than the average human. Creations are not usually so large, so the Refuge isn't either. Right now, you're about two feet tall, if that." The earl's jaw dropped.

He very nearly shouted, "Two feet?! You mean we're the size of dolls?! Sebastian, fix this immediately!"

"I'm afraid I can't Master. I still don't fully know what is going on, and until I do, there is very little I can do about this." The crow glanced up at the sky then turned back to the butler.

"Why don't you wait just a minute longer, and when my friend wakes up, he'll be sure to help in whatever way he can. We run a business where we help those in need, whatever the situaion, and it looks like you could use our services."

"That's very kind of you and your friend. Though why will this friend of yours awaken now of all times of the day? Seems rather late to just be waking."

"Trust me. You'll see why he's waited this long to wake up." He nodded to a house behind him. It was smaller than the rest of the houses, white with green trim and a little mailbox and bench out front. It was quite homey. Just as the sun began to descend, a sliver of light shone through a gap between two buildings. The light reflected off every window in the courtyard, redirecting all the rays to shine directly on the smaller house in a spectacular display. The sun finished its decent, taking the light with it. Electrical lights turned on inside and the front doors swung open grandly. A single figure stepped out, and Sebastian's jaw dropped.

A well-dressed half-man, half-cat walked over to them. He was clad in a light gray suit, complete with matching top hat, brown shoes, red vest, blue bowtie, and gloves. His cat head was covered mostly in a tawny orange fur, with a creamy contrast under his eyes and chin. His eyes were a glowing emerald, sparking with intelligence and dignity. An orange tail swished about behind him. Upon reaching the trio, he took off his top hat and bowed formally.

"Good evening. Welcome to the Bureau." Ciel looked out from behind Sebastian and groaned.

"Oh great, a cat. This is exactly what I need: the thing helping us setting off my allergies." The cat-man glanced down at the boy.

"I'm terribly sorry about your allergies, but you need not be concerned about them. I am not an ordinary cat, so your allergies should remain dormant. Now, allow me to introduce myself. I am B-" Before the tawny feline could go any further, the butler had come out of his stupor and rushed the noblecat. He ran his hands over the cat's head and ears, feeling the soft fur through his gloves.

"Oh, so soft... And these regal ears. They frame the top hat magnificently!" Sebastian looked like he was in utter bliss. The half-feline, however, was too shocked to really do anything. He had never been _pet_ before. Taking a breath, he managed to step away from the butler and shot a slight glare at Toto, who was trying to hold his laughs back behind a wing.

"Yes, well..." He cleared his throat in order to regain his composure.

"Sebastian! Get back over here this instant!" Ciel called. Sebastian tried his hardest not to look like a puppy who had just been kicked as he returned to his master's side.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. Do please forgive my rudeness."

The suited cat replied, "It's... quite all right. Everyone's reaction to my appearance is different. Though I will admit your reaction was a first."

"I'll say," Toto muttered, earning another soft glare from his friend.

"Now, let's try that again. I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, but most call me 'Baron'. Pray tell, who are you?" Sebastian gestured to his young ward.

"This is my young master, Earl Ciel Phantomhive, owner of Funtom Companies, and Her Majesty the Queen's 'Guard Dog'. I am his loyal butler, Sebastian Michaelis."

"A pleasure to meet you both. Why don't you come inside for some tea, and we can try to figure out this predicament." He turned on his heel and walked back inside the little home. Ciel and Sebastian followed after as Toto flew up towards the second story window. He was trying not to laugh at how the butler's eyes followed Baron's tail as if in a trance. This was going to be interesting.

The three walked inside to a finely-decorated yet still humble sitting room. Toto perched on the railing above them as the Baron took off his hat and suit jacket, hanging them both on a rack near the tea cabinet.

"Please, sit wherever you like." Ciel cautiously sat in one of the high-back chairs, still unnerved by the situation he found himself in but doing his best not to show it. Sebastian opted to go over to the half-cat (to help with the tea, he firmly told himself). "Do either of you like milk in your tea, or lemon perhaps?"

"Neither, thank you," the earl responded, his tone bored. Baron turned to the butler, startled at how close he had gotten. Other clients certainly hadn't acted like this around him.

"And you?" Sebastian nodded politely.

"Thank you, Sir, but I do not drink when my master is drinking."

"Nonsense, there is plenty to go around. And just 'Baron' will do, please." He poured his guests some tea, handing off a cup to each before making one for himself. Adding a little bit of milk, he sat in his own high-back chair, warily noting how the butler stood directly between him and the young boy. "So, would you care to tell me how one so young has obtained such a record and a personal butler to boot?"

The demon noted, "It's actually a long story, one my young master doesn't care to repeat." Ciel took a sip of his tea, and his uncovered eye went a little wide.

"This is actually quite good," he muttered. Baron smiled happily at the comment.

"Then you're quite lucky. This is my personal blend of tea. It's a little different each time, so I can never guarantee the flavor." The earl choked on his next sip, coughing and sputtering in his attempt to get the tea out of his lungs. Sebastian set his tea down and wiped the remaining tea from the child's face, tea cup, and little bit he had managed to get on the coffee table. Once he had caught his breath, Ciel looked quite furious.

"You mean you served me without knowing what the hell was in the cup?!"

"Of course I knew what was in the cup," Baron answered primly. "I did say it was tea, after all." Ciel wasn't sure if he should smack the fool cat or just leave and deal with the problem without him.

The demon butler admonished, "Master, that was very undignified to spit out the nice cat's tea. I shall get you a new cup." He took his master's cup and went over to the tea cabinet to get another one, unable to resist quickly brushing the aristocat's ear as he passed by. The tawny feline nearly choked on his own tea as his ear flicked from the contact. He coughed into his hand before addressing the earl again.

"Well then, do you know how it is you came about here? Or perhaps why you're not a normal human size?"

"We were hoping you could answer that," Ciel remarked a bit coldly.

"Well... as to you shrinking, perhaps the-" He stopped as a shiver ran up his spine from the butler gently petting his head as he came back with a new cup of tea for his master. "Would you kindly stop that please?"

"He has a thing about cats. Just ignore him," the earl told, taking a tentative sip of his refreshed tea. Baron cast a glance at the raven-haired man before continuing.

"Right, of course. I believe that you both might have shrunk from the Sanctuary's m- ... Please stop." Sebastian took his hand away from the noble's head.

He mentioned, "My sincerest apologies, but your fur's color is akin to the golden glow of a sunrise, and I found I couldn't help myself." Baron did not look amused. Toto, however, was just containing himself on the second story. His poor friend probably felt highly undiginified having someone pet him, but it was just too funny not to watch!

"Hm... yes... Back to the point," the Creation noted sternly, "the Sanctuary holds a certain bit of magic all its own. It protects itself from most humans, who would want to use Creations for their personal gain, but it has other properties too. This could be how- Stop that!" He smacked the butler's hand away, not quite shouting, but raising his voice enough to make the crow jump. Sebastian looked rightfully guilty as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Sebastian, control yourself." The young earl was quite cross with his butler, but he had to admit, watching the noble half-cat get so flustered was kind of funny. The demon bowed his head.

"Yes Master." Baron set his tea aside and went over to the bookshelves.

"I don't exactly know how you got here, but perhaps I can find something to explain your predicament." He took down a few books, glanced at the higher ones, and sighed quietly. He might regret this... "Sebastian, could you please help me obtain some of the higher-placed volumes?" The demon butler was by his side before he could finish the question.

"Which ones do you require Baron?" The required books were retrieved, the butler managing to keep his hands to himself. Baron turned to the stack on his desk and started rifling through them for an explanation as to this phenomenon. After a moment, he felt something brush against his tail. He waved it off and continued perusing. He felt it again, and this time, he caught his gargoyle friend snickering. If he didn't have fur, the tawny noble would've felt a sweat-drop forming. Baron glanced over his shoulder, seeing Sebastian kneeling behind him and playing with his tail. Glaring a bit, he whacked the butler upside the head with his tail before walking over to the other side of the desk.

"You said you came from London young Earl?"

"Yes. Your friend said we were far away from there, so where exactly are we?"

"Right now, you're in Ja-" He stopped again, noticing that Sebastian had snuck up behind him and was once again playing 'keep away' with his tail. "_Oh for the love of Haru._" (I'm just going to sneak this in there...) He turned towards the butler, who was disappointed that his game had been interrupted. "Please do get up." He offered the man his hand, which he should have thought better on. Sebastian tore off his glove and gasped.

"Oh Baron! Your paw-like hand is simply marvelous! The dexterity of human fingers and the squishy pads of paws! Such an incredible combination and- oh!" Sebastian pressed on a pressure point, and claws extended from the tips of Baron's fingers. "Oh, your claws are so sharp! Such ferocity, even in a gentle-cat as yourself." Baron took his hand back and quickly stepped over to Ciel.

"Such a strange quality in a demon," the Creation commented. The Earl Phantomhive stared up at the half-cat.

"How did you know he's a demon?!"

"I may not be an ordinary cat, or even a full one, but I do have some of their advantages. Demons have a certain smell to them, but I wasn't originally going to say anything unless you wanted to let me know. To avoid a certain cliche, it seems my tongue slipped. I have had an encounter or two with demons before, but this particular one is certainly a fir- Quit that already!" He knocked away Sebastian's hand again, walking back to his chair to avoid the demon. The raven-haired butler smiled.

"I simply cannot resist Baron. And I must certainly hear you purr." He stalked towards the half-cat Creation, whose fur bristled and feet started moving away. The two circled each other around the sitting room, the Baron trying to reason with Sebastian, who was having none of it. Toto finally let it out, laughing uproariously at the sight.

"You're not helping Toto!" Baron yelled as he dashed towards the front doors, Sebastian in hot pursuit. They burst through and started running around the courtyard. The crow let himself out of the house to watch the chase outside. Ciel was frozen in his chair for but a moment before he too went to the door. The usually-composed feline was running as fast as he could away from the cat-crazed demon, ocassionally jumping up onto the roofs and balconies to try to lose him, but Sebastian kept a good pace. If he couldn't keep up with a half-cat Creation then what kind of a butler would he be?

"I love your butler Ciel!" Toto cackled, nearly falling over from his position on the Bureau's roof. The boy scoffed and rolled his eyes, leaning against the doorframe.

"He is one _hell_ of a cat-lover. The idiot," he said, his tone exasperated and long-suffering.

"Leave me alone already! I beg you!" Baron shouted, zipping past the young earl.

Sebastian, only two seconds behind, countered, "But your fur is oh so golden and soft! Like warm rays of sunshine! Your hands are caught perfectly between two worlds! And your tail! Oh, how it plays back and forth in the air with such dignity only a noble cat such as yourself could manage!" They went around for three more laps before another figure came waddling through the stone arch.

"Hey Birdbrain! I'm back from Haru's!" The fat white cat stopped as Baron and Sebastian blazed by him. His jaw dropped as he watched the raven-haired man chase his friend around the Refuge, the crow struggle to breathe in his laughter fit, and the rather ticked-looking child glare at the world. Scratching his head, Muta asked, "What'd I miss?"


End file.
